Rebels’ season outlook: The good, the bad, the unresolved

By Ryan Greene

Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Nowhere to go but up. It may not be the official motto for Mike Sanford’s UNLV squad heading into the 2008 season, but it’s the truth.

The Rebels have won two games in each of the past four seasons — although Sanford is accountable for only the past three.

But there are reasons for optimism at Rebel Park as the team returns from its 11-day training camp in Ely. Of course, that’s not to say coach Sanford can turn the ship completely around.

Here’s a look at the good, the bad and the up in the air on offense, defense and special teams, plus a glance at those pesky intangibles as the Rebels return to Las Vegas.

Offense

The good: The Rebels’ strength is at the skill positions. Casey Flair and Ryan Wolfe are as dependable a 1-2 receiving duo as you’ll find in the Mountain West, and true freshman Phillip Payne, a Western High product, made a big splash in red zone drills in Ely, catching fade pass after fade pass (after fade pass). Plus, you know what you’re getting from Frank Summers in the backfield. The senior running back is essentially the face of the program this season, and has slimmed down a bit in an effort to build on his 1,180 all-purpose yardage total of a year ago. The bulk of the offensive line has played together for a year and that should prove valuable.

The bad: It’s honestly tough to find something truly bad to say about this offense, although depth could be a potential issue.

The up in the air: Sanford made a good choice in naming Omar Clayton as his starting quarterback right out of the gate. Clayton has looked steady so far, but those receivers will be only as good as the guy getting them the ball. If Clayton stays healthy and plays well, losses won’t come for lack of scoring.

Defense

The good: Under the direction of new assistant coach Andre Patterson, the line has been the highlight of the defense during fall camp. Senior Jacob Hales and sophomore Malo Taumua appear to have established themselves as the leaders of the D. After a shaky start in Ely, the entire unit buckled down. It has to for the Rebels to improve on the 183.6 yards they allowed on the ground per game last season.

The bad: There certainly have been some growing pains in the defensive backfield. Sophomore cornerback Quinton Pointer dislocated his elbow in the first week of camp at Rebel Park and may or may not be back for the opener against Utah State. His replacement, Will Chandler, took the bulk of the first team snaps early in the week in Ely, and slowly but surely started to get it. On the other side, Geoff Howard was solid. But the Rebels probably can’t afford to be without Pointer for longer than the first game against Utah State, whose starting QB has thrown just one pass.

The up in the air: It will be next to impossible to replace linebacker Beau Bell, who wasn’t just the Rebels defensive leader but also the league’s top defensive player last year. Junior Starr Fuimaono is the most impressive returner, and much of what the defense does could hinge on him. In Ely, the linebackers complemented the line, and the front seven played well. Junior Jason Beauchamp made quite an impression throughout the week, too.

Special teams

The up in the air: Most of the kicking game is completely up in the air for the Rebels.

Sanford made it clear that Ben Jaekle will kick off. But who’ll handle field goal tries? The battle over Jaekle or Kyle Watson might not be decided until next week right before the opener. Junior college transfer Brendon Lamers appears to be the leading candidate at punter, with Watson behind him.

The one constant on special teams right now will be Casey Flair returning punts. He’s no Devin Hester, averaging just 8.4 yards per return last year on 14 tries, but he has good hands and isn’t likely to cough up the football.

Outlook

On the slate, there appears to be one sure win — Week One against Utah State. The Aggies are considered by many to be the worst team in the FBS ranks. After that comes maybe the most crucial stretch of the Rebs’ schedule. Road games at Utah and Arizona State will be tough to steal. But if the Rebels can emerge with competitive results and a lack of injuries, things start to play out in their favor. Six of the final nine games will be at home, including consecutive, winnable games against Iowa State (terrible away from home), UNR (a down year for the Wolf Pack) and at Colorado State (at being the key word there). The way the schedule sets up suggests this team’s win-loss total will be improved from the two-win norm of late.

But if things don’t go well early, it might be tough to break those losing habits.